Two winners have emerged from Nigeria in the Intel ClimbAfrica competition which was announced last week, for sport lovers to predict the time it will take Tanzanian Mountain Guide, Julio Ludago to ascend and descend Mt. Kilimanjaro in his attempt to beat the current world record of 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds.
Sponsored by Intel Corporation, ASUS and his employer Ahsante Tours; Julio, who set out on Sunday, September 27, 2015 to beat the world record of ascending and descending Mt. Kilimanjaro currently held by Swiss-Ecuadorian Karl Egloff at 6 hours, 56 minutes and 24 seconds put up a spirited fight to complete the climb and finished in 11hours, 8 minutes, thus becoming the second Tanzanian and African to make this attempt to climb and descend the highest Mountain in Africa in the shortest time on record.
The winners, Allan Thairo, and Dennis Murii Irungu had the most accurate predictions on how long it would take Julio to climb Kilimanjaro, with 11hours, and 10 hours, 45minutes and 30 seconds respectively; and will receive the Asus Transformer Book T100 and Asus Fonepad. Finishing his climb, Julio said “I knew it was never going to be an easy task for me, but I had a lot of determination. I also drew a lot of inspiration from the support I received from the people who cheered me throughout this challenge.
“My intention was to create awareness on mountaineering in Tanzania and inspire people around the world to come and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. The high altitude, low temperature and occasional strong wind made it a difficult challenge but I waded through with a lot of faith. Despite not beating the current record, I believe I did my best and I hope that I have inspired other people to come and attempt the climb.”
Commenting on the attempt, Head of Marketing and Public Relations Manager for East Africa at Intel Corporation, Lavinniah Muthoni, said that, “Julio’s story is truly inspirational. We celebrate his determination to complete the climb, even when the going got tough and we are proud that our technology supported him throughout his journey.”
Julio’s employer, Ahsante Tours and Safaris Ltd. provided the logistical support during his training sessions and managed logistics during the day of the climb.
According to the company’s Marketing Manager, Noel Kileo, “It is an exciting time for us to have been part of Julio’s incredible journey. Julio’s attempt was tough and even though he did not break the world record, we are proud of his accomplishment today. As a player in the tourism industry, we look forward to welcoming more people to visit our country and among other things, attempt to climb the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.”
Intel, through the use of technology enabled Julio to track his fitness levels and also share his extraordinary experience with Africa and beyond. Throughout the preparation stage and actual climb, he used Basis Peak to help him track his activity, health and sleeping metrics 24/7. He was able to continuously monitor his heart rate, movement, perspiration and skin temperature throughout the climb.
Julio also had an ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi powered by Intel. The razor-thin and powerful 2 in 1 device with a 12.5” screen was useful during his preparation phase to track weather conditions, create a schedule and measure his progress. He was also able to surf the internet to get exercising tips and keep in touch with his fans.
In February 2006, another Tanzanian guide Simon Mtui climbed and descended the mountain through the same route in 9 hours, 21 minutes. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 metres above sea level and is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania.
Vanguard news
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